


Sooner or later

by bestaceinspace



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-25
Updated: 2013-03-25
Packaged: 2017-12-06 10:30:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/734650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bestaceinspace/pseuds/bestaceinspace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They are two pieces put together. If anyone were to break one part, the other would also fail.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sooner or later

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for the episode 2x13 Dead reckoning.

_Sooner or later, both of us will probably end up dead. Actually dead this time._

Was _this time_ now? Tonight? Reese starts to rewind everything inside his head while Finch’s trembling fingers try to save his life, both _their_ lives. The truth is, for the first time in a long while, Reese doesn’t know what to do. He just stands there like a rock, leaving his life in the hands of the man in front of him. It makes a lot of sense, though, stopping to analyze it all. Reese knows. He always knew since the day he met Finch. His life had always been in the billionaire’s hands, right after the moment Harold brought him back from the dead. Reese doesn’t know where to look either, his eyes glancing at Finch for some time before going back to staring at the NY’s night sky. He even tries to make jokes, smiling a bit, and pretends that this moment is just like any other they have faced so far. He wants to believe there is nothing new here, but the genuine concern in Finch’s eyes is telling him otherwise. He is being more serious than usually, and so worried, in a way Reese has never seen before.

_I’m not leaving you here, John._

The words that came from Harold’s mouth were firm and honest. Truth and loyal, like he didn’t forget how they got to this moment. Reese didn’t forget either, of course. Both men had made a pact, after all. A _suicide_ pact, for God’s sake. But, wait… Did that mean… When Finch said they were both going to end up dead someday… Did that mean they were going to die at the same time? _Together?_ It all makes a lot of sense in Reese’s head, and he gives Harold another anxious look. Well, he didn’t want to die, even thought he was never afraid of it, but it did sound right… And crazy at the same time, he has to add. They both knew what they were sacrificing by making that ‘deal’ to help the numbers; to save people. But were they, Finch and him, people? Or where they just ghosts? At this very moment, Reese doesn’t quite know what to say. He just knows that, if they weren’t people anymore, that maybe they are, as weird as it sounds: a machine.

They _are_ two pieces put together. If anyone were to break one part, the other would also fail. They wouldn’t function without the other, and that’s how things always worked between them. Reese remembers thinking, back when Finch was kidnapped, that he wouldn’t be able to keep on going without the hacker’s help, and Finch knew the same thing, that he couldn’t do the job Reese was trained for.

You break down a machine by untying its network. If you destroy one piece, the rest will be compromised, that’s how much Reese and Finch relied on each other. That’s why, when Finch showed up and decided to help, John couldn’t say no. That’s why, when he reminds Harold of the things he said when they first met, Finch answers with _I prefer later_ , because he knows there’s still a lot they both can do. But they can’t do it alone.

_I’m pretty sure I’d be dead already if you hadn’t found me._

_That’s hard to say_ , Finch answers when the truth is, _he_ would be dead _too_ if he hadn’t found John. Without John, and now Finch can see, he wouldn’t work either. He would be useless, and, right now, that’s how he feels, after making the last mistake he was allowed to while trying to disarm the bomb vest ready to blow everything up.

_Not really_ , Reese says. _Pick a winner, Harold_ , he adds, making Finch’s hands shake even more. He then picks the number he thinks is right.

Number. Numbers. Always numbers.

But, in the end, it works. Or, if they don’t, Harold makes them work. He breathes in relief when the number he chooses unlocks the cell phone in Reese’s chest, and Reese’s body relaxes after he sees that Finch disarmed the bomb.

Even the air doesn’t feel so heavy anymore, and both men keep breathing heavily, almost to prove to themselves that they still could. They just stay with their eyes closed, in silence.

What surprises Finch is that he had never seen that look of almost panic on Reese’s face. It was the very first time he actually saw fear on him. And Finch knew the man was okay with putting his life in danger, but, apparently, it was not the same thing when it meant someone else, someone Reese _cared_ , would be caught in the crossfire. Finch doesn’t open his eyes for a while and, without thinking properly, and with his hands still shaky, he reaches out to hold onto Reese’s black suit, his fingers closing in a tight grip. He rests his forehead against the taller man’s chest and opens his eyes to stare at the cell phone that almost took their lives. He doesn’t know why he is doing it, though, because unnecessarily touching people was not something he was used to, but, in this moment, it feels different, when you realize you have too much in your hands to simply let go.

_Lucky for me you never fail, Harold_ , John’s voice makes him flinch a bit, but he doesn’t let go, and the simple touch of John’s hands resting on his shoulders is enough to comfort him.


End file.
